The label of an uncompromising and tactically rigid coach, almost at the limit of a “Taliban”, seemed destined to accompany Rúben Amorim’s adventure on the Milan bench. From his arrival in Milan, the Portuguese manager had reiterated his desire to pursue his ideas to the end in Serie A. However, as highlighted by today’s edition of Tuttosport, the round internal success of 3-0 against Lecce showed a striking and unexpected strategic metamorphosis, disproving those who considered him an inflexible coach.

The historical data, on the other hand, spoke clearly: in the 313 official matches played in his career at the helm of Sporting Braga, Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United and Milan, only on a couple of occasions had Amorim’s teams started a match with a back four. Against the Salento side, however, after a start linked to the proven 3-4-2-1, the Lusitanian coach surprised everyone by changing the formation during the game and switching to a fluid 4-2-3-1 (which at times turned into a 4-4-2 depending on Christian Pulisic’s offensive movements).

The winning chess move against Eusebio Di Francesco

In modern football where numbers matter less than space occupation and playing principles, this fluid Milan represents an absolute breakthrough. In the first five seasonal outings across the league and Europa League, the Devil had always remained anchored to its original system from start to finish of the match. Amorim showed that he had studied carefully last year’s precedents and Eusebio Di Francesco’s counter‑measures, winning decisively the strategic duel on the tactical board.

Evolution or exception? The Devil’s tactical future

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